After More Than 10 Years Of Serving His Country, Nate Boyer Has Arrived In The NFL.

Truly incredible.

Nate Boyer grew up a San Francisco 49ers fan, but as soon as he got the call from Pete Carroll of the Seattle Seahawks, he had no problem throwing on the jersey players like Russell Wilson have made famous in recent years.

That's typical of any NFL rookie. Sometimes you grow up a fan of a certain team, but when you get THAT call, it's time to put hometown favorites aside and start being a professional athlete.

However, for this 34 year old un-drafted free-agent, the circumstances are a whole lot different compared to a blue chip prospect, who has been pegged as the future of a NFL franchise since he was 16 years old.

When you hear Boyer's entire journey, you will fully understand why throwing on any NFL jersey was such a dream come true and truly a one in one hundred opportunity. Perhaps even more.

Unlike top tier prospects and rookies like Jameis Winston or Amari Cooper, this future NFL player spent his teens and early 20s in the Sudan.

He didn't receive an education in Communications or English either. In fact he didn't receive any degree at all. In place of a diploma, Boyer received a degree in patriotism and respect.

The humanitarian and soon to be special forces soldier simply felt the need to serve others after reading about the crisis in the African country in a Time magazine article.

Once he came back to the United States when he was 24, he made the official decision to take the next step and enlist in the Army.

For Boyer, it wasn't just about being the best of the best. It was about helping others and "freeing the oppressed." The same words inscribed on the Green Beret crest.

With this belief in mind and experience diving hands first into a crisis, it seems like it was meant to be that Boyer would become one of eleven that would graduate from the elite Army unit.

Accomplishing this was no small task. To put into perspective how hard it is join this legendary unit, Boyer had to outlast a group of 157 soldiers. It was truly a testament of not just being "the best of the best," but the need to capture a goal for a better cause, which others deem impossible.

Boyer sums it up in the beginning of another interview he did with LongHorn Network.

"They don't want to just serve, they want to do whatever it takes to make a defining difference..."

These words hold ever truer in the next chapter of his life, after five years of service in the Middle East.

Upon returning from his service at the age of 29 and earning the Bronze Star, the fourth highest award given out for acts of heroism and merit in a combat zone, Nate decided that he wanted to play college football. But not just any college football...

He wanted to play for the Texas Longhorns, one the most prestigious college football programs in the country.

Being in the military prepared Nate very well for his next multiple-year commitment.

As he said in the Long Horn Network interview, "The military is all about fighting for the man next to you, looking after each others back and that's the same thing on the football field."

It was due to Boyer's hustle and intensity that ultimately led to him making the team. As he explained, an assistant coach told the players to run six laps around the field. Since Boyer was from the Army, where you run as fast as you can to your goal, he wound up lapping every single player on the field.

When the coach pulled him aside and explained to the team that this was the integrity he was looking for in players, he knew he just had to continue the hard work to earn his spot.

Although he'd never actually played organized football, Boyer officially made the Longhorns roster in 2011.

Boyer was given the task of carrying the American flag during the pregame. With the flag in his hand, his thoughts always remained on his fellow soldiers fighting on the front lines.

And when things got tough during two-a-days and sweltering heat, Head Coach Mack Brown would call Nate to speak to his teammates about the hardships he faced in Iraq.

At first, Boyer made the team as a scout team safety. Although he dressed and was on the sidelines for home games, the former Beret wanted to see some real action on the field. That's when Boyer decided to learn a new position.

Throughout his tours with the National Guard in places such as Afghanistan during the football offseason, Boyer watched numerous YouTube videos on how to be a long snapper.

After perfecting the craft, Boyer got it down and snapped the football over 500 times. According to ESPN, not a single one of those was inaccurate.

With all of these accomplishments on his resume, Boyer decided to achieve yet another goal and dream. Playing in the NFL.

In Spring 2015, Boyer's incredible and unbelievable life took another wild turn. This time it was in a different war-zone, on the gridiron of the NFL.

The 34-year-old college graduate, Green Beret, Bronze Star, former National Guard long snapper got the call from Pete Carroll of the Seattle Seahawks after the draft concluded. It is quite the long-shot, but this former Special Forces officer definitely has the right aim to achieve it.

As USA Today reported, just getting his weight to the right level is difficult enough. He said, "It's hard. I played at 190 at Texas. I've already put on 25-30 pounds in the last three months. It's tough. ... Doing a lot of heavy lifting. It's just eating constantly. Putting weight on this quick, it's not easy, and it's really hard to do it the right way. It's been a struggle and a challenge...But I like challenges."

Boyer is also actively involved with an organization called 22 Kill, a group that helps former veterans from committing suicide. The "22" comes from the number of veterans that end their lives on a daily basis.

Coach Carroll is confident in Boyer's abilities though and he will be dressed to play in the Seahawks pre-season game against the Denver Broncos on August 24.

As per the USA Today article, Carroll mentioned, "He's working hard. He's going to be ready to get in there and snap in the games and see how he does. He's been very consistent. I'm anxious to see what he does when he gets downfield. He's a good snapper."

We will certainly be on the lookout for Boyer and we definitely hope he finds a home on a NFL roster this season.